Plum and Apple

DESCRIPTION: "Plum and apple, Apple and plum, Plum and apple There is always some. The A.S.C. get strawberry jam And lashings of rum, But we poor blokes We only get Apple and plum."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1965 (Brophy/Partridge-TommiesSongsAndSlang)
KEYWORDS: soldier food drink hardtimes
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Brophy/Partridge-TommiesSongsAndSlang, p. 59, "Plum and Apple" (1 text)
Arthur-WhenThisBloodyWarIsOver, p.n84, "Plum and Apple" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: John Mullen, _The Show Must Go On! Popular Song in Britain during the First World War_, French edition 2012; English edition, Ashgate, 2015, pp. 102-103, "(Plum and Apple, Apple and Plum)" (1 excerpt with notes)
Roud #10545
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Just a Wee Doch-an-Dorris" (tune)
NOTES [73 words]: The text of the song does not refer to the brand of jam, but it is almost certainly Tickler's Jam; their apple-and-plum jam was typically the only one to reach the troops in World War I. (There was, obviously, a strawberry jam also, but the claim is that the supply people made off with that.)
Tickler's Jam is mentioned surprisingly often in other songs. For background, see the notes to "When the War Is Over, We Shall Have Some Jam." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: BrPa059B

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